Street or station indicator.



J. W. DE FORD.

STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR.

APPLIUATION FILED JUAN. 18, 1913.

3 R 1 m 9 Am m Wm V w o mm F dm .6 m p w W mm Allorney COLUMBIA- PLANDGRAP" COAIWMHING'IW. D- C- v 6 W t Z Attorney J. W. DE FORD. STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1913.

1,083,063. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 sums-sum 2.

WI TNES T H INVENTOR JWDe F0 rd.

nno.

JOHN W. DE FORD, OF MARION, INDIANA.

STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30,1913.

Application filed January 18, 1913. Serial No. 742,852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. DE FORD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Marion, in the county'of Grant and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street or Station Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in street or station indicators; the object being to provide a device by means of which the streets on the route of a car can be indicated in succession as they occur, thereby announcing to the passengers of the car, the name of the street at which the car will next stop.

A further object of the invention is to provide an indicator which can be operated either by hand or foot by the motorman or conductor, in order to cause the name of the next street to appear in clear view of the passengers, thereby overcoming the disadvantages now existing in carrying passengers by their stops or streets.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device in which an apron is used on which are printed consecutively, the names of the streets or stations as they occur, said apron being carried by rolls capable of be ing operated independently so that after the car has reached its terminal by shifting the operating mechanism, the apron can be rewound uponthe roll in order to bring the names of the streets into the view of the passengers, on the return trip of the car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a station indicator in which a centrally driven gear is employed which can be driven by any suitable means; said gear coacting with pinions carried by the web rolls alternatively, in order to cause either of said rolls to be rota-ted so as to wind the apron thereon containing the inscriptions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a station indicator which is so constructed that the apron-carrying roll will be rotated a certain distance upon each operation in order to cause the apron to move the required distance to bring the next station or street printed upon the apron into a line with the sight opening.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawingsFigure 1, is a front elevation of my improved station indicator; part of the-casing being broken away to show the driving mechanism; Fig. 2, is an end view of the same; the end plate being removed to show the driving mechanism in elevation, said view also illustrating the operating mechanism which can be installed at any desired point; Fig. 3, is an elevation of the spring lock for preventing the driving gear from rotating in a reverse direction for holding the same in the position in which it is moved; Fig. 4, is an elevation of the operating lever; Fig. 5, is a face view of the same; Fig. 6, is a front view of one of the clips for locking the pinion in its desired position; and Fig. 7, is a side view of the same.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a rectangular casing formed of any suitable metal having a partition 2 forming a roll compartment 3 and a mechanism compartment 4. The roll compartment 3 is closed by a hinged door 5 having a sight opening 6 over which is preferably arranged a plate of glass. The mechanism compartment 4- is inclosed by a suitable plate, not shown.

Mounted in suitable bearings formed in the end of the casing and the partition 2, are shafts 7 "and 8 upon which are secured rolls 9 and 10 having longitudinal notches formed in their periphery in which is secured the ends of an apron 11 by clamping means 12, as clearly shown, which may comprise screws or a plate and said apron is provided with inscriptions printed thereon, herein shown the names of streets on the route of the car to which the station indicator is to be attached. The apron 11 passes over guide rollers 13 and 14 arranged longitudinally within the casing adjacent the front door thereof in order to hold the apron tightly stretched in front of the sight opening to enable the name of the street or station to be clearly readby the passengers of the car as said name appears in front of the sight opening.

The ends of the shafts 7 and 8 extend into the mechanism compartment A and have feathered thereon, pinions 15 and 16 which are provided with integral sleeve portions 17 and 18 terminating in shaft portions 19 and 20 which extend through suitable openings formed in the end of the casing of the compartment 4 and are preferably provided with knobs 19 and 20 in order to allow the same to be readily grasped in order tomov 1n turn will rotate the p1n1on 1n mesh therewitlrsuificiently to bring the name of one the pinions upon the respective shafts for the purpose hereinafter fully. set forth. The shafts 19 and 20 are provided with collars l9 and 20 which limit the inward move ment of the shafts and said shafts are also provided with annular grooves 19 and 20 which are adapted to be engaged by sliding clips2l mounted upon the end of the-cas ing; said clips being provided with bifurcated lower .ends. adapted to fit within the grooves. so as to lock the shaft in extended position and to straddle the shafts to the outsideof the collars 19 and 20 .tov lock theshafts when forced inwardly. By this construction, each shaft can be-locked in the desired position without any danger of it.moving and by forming the clips with lips as clearly shown, they can be readily manipulated by the conductor or motorman. Thepreferred form of mounting these clips is to provide the same with a longitudinal slot through whichextends a screw for securing the clips tov the casing in order to allow the same to slide up and down and out of engagement with the shafts.

*EXtGIlCllDg inwardly from the partition 2 is a bearing 22 in which is mounted a shaft 23 having a crank receiving portion 24 at its .outer end arranged in such a position that a crank can be readily placed thereon in order to rotate said shaft. Mounted. on theshaft 23 is a driven gear 25 having a washer arranged to each side and said driven gear isprovided with a ratchet face, as shown at 26 formed by providing the face with a. series of tapering recesses ter1ninatinginvertical walls as shown at 27. On the shaft 23 to the outside of the driven gear 25 is mounted the collar portion 28 of a springoperating lever 29, which is held in position thereon by a nut 30 and said lever is provided with an offset; portion 31 having projecting therefrom, a beveled lug-32 corresponding in shape to the recesses formed in theface of the driven gear 25 and adapted to be normally held into one of these recesses. by the resiliency of the lever. From the above, it will be seen that by oscillating the lever 29, the driven gear will be rotated or that by placing a crank on the end of the shaft 23, the gear can be rotated in order to rotate one of the pinions 15 or 16, as the case may be.

In order to provide means for driving the driven gear by the operating lever in such a manner that the conductor can operate the same either by hand or a treadle, 'I provide the lever 29 with an operating rod 83 which extends through a slot 34 formed in the casing and is provided with suitable stops 35 for limiting the movement thereof. The rod is provided with a turn buckle for adjusting the length of the same in order to obtain the correct throw of the lever so as to rotate the driven gear the desired distance which of the streets upon the apron in line with thesight opening. Herein shown, I provide a crank 37 to which the end of the rod 35 is connected; said crank being preferably -Inountecl upon a bracket 38 secured to the car at the desired point and to the otherarm of: the crank:137,;I connecta rodv89; which extends ,down .to. a point adj acent' the floor .and' ispconnectedto a pivoted treadle 40 mounted ina bracket 41 and whileI have shown .a treadle for operating the driven -gear it is of course understood that by providing the rod 89 with a handleor grip of any -kind,'; .-the-,san1e canbe readily grasped and drawn downwardly .by- .the conductor or 'motormanto operate-{the pivoted lever. In

ordergto return -the. pivoted lever 129N130 its starting position, I: provide. a coil spring: 42 one end-ofwhich is connected: to. the lever andithehother end to a suitable bracket 43 extending from, the casing.

'In order. to revent; the drivengear from being. rotatedyin a reversedirection by the spring. lever when returnedto itsnnormal position by the spring 42,1 provide a spring catch144 which is provided with an angle end .45 carrying .a projection .46 .adapted to co-act with one of the recesses of the ratchet face of the driven gear .and preventthe same-fromturning in one direction. For preventing the idle pinion i from turning backwardly so as. touloosen the web, I provide the-partition: 2iwithsuitable housings in which arermounted: spring-actuated bolts 47.which pass through plates 48 .inclosing the housingsandare provided with beveled ends adapted. to coeact with the teeth of the idle pinion, asclearly showninvFigs- 1 and 2, whereby the. idle pinion is allowed torotate in one direction,-but is prevented from rotating .-in a. reverse direction.

. From the. above, it will be seen that: I have provided a station or .street indicator in which a; pair. of roll-carrying shafts are employed having driven pinions feathered thereon and capable of being; manually thrown intoand out of mesh .witha central driven gear in order to rotateeither ofzsaid roll-carrying shafts .in such a. manner that the apron carried therebyl will be .moved a certain distance .and held inthat position 1 until the device is operated manually again by the motor-man or'conductor; the movement .of said apronbeing sufficient to shift the position of the apron within the housing so as to bring the streets orstations printe thereon in order,into the view of thepassengers on. the car; whereby it will not be necessary for the conductor to announce the names of the streets or the stations as the carapproaches the same, as the passengers will have clearly before them, the names of the streets or stations; thereby enablin the conductor or motorman to attend strict y to his other duties.

While I have shown the rod 89 constructed in such a manner as to be operated manually, it is of course understood that suitable operating mechanism can be employed, such as electrical means, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The operation of a station indicator con-- structed as hereinbefore set forth, is as follows: Supposing that the gears are in the position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by op erating the treadle 40 so as to rock the lever 29 the driven gear will be moved a distance equal to the distance between the stops 35 of the rod 38 which in turn will drive the pinion 15 carried by the shaft 7 and the roll will be rotated so as to cause the apron to be wound thereon, and as shown in Fig. 1, the name of the street WVashington; will be carried from in front of the sight open-- ing and the next street will be brought into alinement with the sight opening. lVhen the treadle is released, the spring 42 returns the lever 29 to the position shown in Fig. 2, the catch 44: preventing the driven gear from being turned backwardly, and it will be seen that on each operation of the treadle or a downward move ment of the rod 39, the driven gear will be rotated. After the car to which the indicator is attached has reached the end of the line or the terminal, the motorman operates the upper sliding clip 21 so as to disengage the same from the shaft 19 and by forcing the same inwardly, the pinion 15 is thrown out of engagement with the driven gear 25, at the same time it is thrown into engagement with the spring catch 47 so as to prevent any unwinding of the roll thereon. The sliding clip 21 is then moved upwardly and the shaft 20 is drawn outwardly until the groove is brought into alinement with the clip and the same is forced downwardly so as to lock the pinion 16 into engagementwith the driven gear 25. As the driven gear is operated when the parts are in this position, the lower roll or empty roll will be rotated so as to wind the apron thereon and bring the names of the streets thereon, intermittently into the view of the passengers of the car.

It will be seen that I have provided means whereby the driven gear can be operated directly from the shaft upon which it is mounted, or operating means as herein shown and described, can be employed which can be located at any desired point upon the car at a convenient place for the conductor or motorman.

I claim:

1. In street or station indicator, the combination with a pair of shafts carrying rolls,

an apron mounted upon said rolls, pinions feathered upon said shafts, a driven gear, means for locking said pinions into and out of mesh with said driven gear, means for holding said driven gear against backward movement thereof, spring-actuated members adapted to be engaged by said pinions when in inoperative position for holding said pinions against backward movement thereof, and a pivoted spring lever for operating said gear.

2. In a street or station indicator, the combination with a pair of apron-feeding shafts, of pinions feathered upon said shafts, a driven gear, means for moving said pinions into and out of mesh with said gear, means for locking said pinions in adjusted position, spring-actuated bolts cooperating with said pinions alternately, and means for driving said driven gear.

3. In a street or station indicator, the combination with a casing provided with compartments, of rolls mounted in one of said compartments, driving mechanism mounted in the other compartment comprising pinions and a gear, means for connecting said driving mechanism to either of said pinions, and means co-acting with said idle pinion for preventing backward movement thereof.

4. In a street or station indicator, the combination with a casing, of shafts mounted in said casing, rolls carried by said shafts, an apron carried by said rolls, pinions feathered on said shafts provided with shaft portions extending through one wall of said casing, a driven gear, means for locking said shafts in adjusted position, and spring members co acting with said pinions for preventing movement in one direction.

5. In a street or station indicator, the combination with a casing, of roll-carrying shafts mounted in said casing, pinions feathered on said shafts, a driven gear, means for moving said pinions into and out of engagement with said driven gear, and springactuated bolts having beveled ends co-acting with the idle pinion for preventing backward movement thereof.

6. In a street or station indicator, the combination with a pair of roll-carrying shafts, of pinions on said shafts, spring-actuated bolts adapted to be engaged by said pinions, a gear provided with a ratchet face for driving said pinions, a pivoted spring lever provided with projections co-acting with the ratchet face of said driven gear, means for oscillating said lever in one direction, a spring for returning said lever to its original position, and means for preventing backward movement of said driven gear.

7. In a street or station indicator, the combination with a pair of roll-carrying shafts, of pinions upon said shafts, spring-actuated bolts adapted to be engaged by said pinions,

:adriven gear provided with; a ratchet face, ,a'spring lever provided -W ith projections coactingwith the ratchet face of said gear, an operating rod connected to said'lever, anda spring catch co-acting with .theratchet face for ,preventing.-rea1"vvard movement thereof.

8. Ina street or station indicator, the coni bination with a pair of shafts, of rolls carriedby said shafts, anapron carriedby said rolls, pinions feathered upon said shafts .provided with shaft, portions extending through the, wallet said casing, spring-actuated bolts adapted to be engaged by said pinions a driven gearfor driving said pinions, Land sliding clips for locking the pinion-carrying shafts inadjusted position.

' 9. In a street or station indicator, the co1nbination-With a driven gear, ofxapron-carrying rolls, shafts for driving said trolls, pinionsfor driving said shafts, sleeves 'for shifting said pinions into andeout ofengagement with said driven gear, and slidably mounted'members for locking said driven gear; against movement in one direction.

10. A station orstreet indicator comprising a pair of shafts carrying rolls, pinions feathered on said shafts, -adriven gear,

:meansfon moving saidpinionsinto; and out of; mesh. with-said driven gear,- spring-actuiatedb'olts co=acting with said pinions, means for locking said pinions in their adjusted positions, and means for preventing said; driven gear from rotating "in a one :direction.

.11. {In-a street orastationsindicator the .comb,inaation with Y a; casing: ,providedwith a hinged tidoor having ,:a sight opening, of shafts carrying rolls amounted-in said casing, an. apron vmounted upon; said rolls passing .over saidsight opening pinions carriedby said shafts, springractuated bolts; co-acting Withisaid, lpinions gear for driving said pinions provided :with a ratchet face, a spring 11ever provided With projections: 00- ,acting With; theratohet; face of said gear, a spring catch provided withaa projection 00- actingW-ith the ratchet faceof said gear for preventing reverse movement. thereof,- a rod connected to-saidiever, and-means for reciprocating: said rod.

.In testimony whereof LafliX-my signature in presence of tvvowitnesses.

JOHN Vii-DE: FORD.

' WVit-nesses HARLEY F... HARDIN, Com SAUMENIG.

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:Washington, #1). G. 

